


Riverrun

by abbymaie



Series: Stolen Moments [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Just go with it here....please, Multi, Pregnant Arya Fic, idk - Freeform, non-canon, oh and mentions of past violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-28
Updated: 2012-11-28
Packaged: 2017-11-19 18:46:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/576479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbymaie/pseuds/abbymaie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Non-Red Wedding AU/Cat's reaction to Arya's unexpected pregnancy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Riverrun

It was a beautiful spring morning, and Catelyn Stark was anxious to greet her two daughters and husband. Ned, Sansa, and Arya had been in King’s Landing for the last five years and she missed her family terribly. She had visited King’s Landing with Robb and his wife, Myrcella, Bran, and Rickon for Sansa’s wedding to Willas Tyrell a year ago but there was hardly anytime for family affairs. And now they traveled North to Riverrun to attend Edmure Tully’s wedding to Roslin Frey.

She was so consumed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice little Rickon tugging on her skirts.

“Mother! Mother!”

Catelyn snapped out of her reverie and turned to the little boy. “Yes, sweetling?”

“I said, they’re here! And it looks like the King and his family are here, too!”

This astonished Cat for a moment.  _The King? Why would the King come to the Edmure’s wedding?_

Nonetheless, she raced to the courtyard and eagerly awaited to great her family. Robb and the rest of them had already assembled and Myrcella seemed to be beaming when she saw Tommen riding with Lord Stark.

“My lady, you never told me my family would be attending the wedding as well?” Myrcella kindly scolded Cat.

“I had no knowledge of this Cella.”

“Oh nonsense! The more the merrier.” the young girl smirked.

It felt like ages until they finally came into the courtyard and before she knew it, Ned was standing before her and embracing her.

“My lady, it has been to long.”

“Aye, it has my lord.” she spoke with tears before he kissed her a sweet kiss.

She pulled away and saw Sansa barrel towards her. “Mother!”

“Oh my sweet Sansa! How I’ve missed you so! You look so much more beautiful than ever, marriage seems to agree with you.”

Cat brushed Sansa’s auburn curls to the side and then saw her little girl standing behind them, radiant and glowing, in a dress.

“Mummy.” she whispered with a smile.

“Arya.”

The youngest Stark girl stood in front of her and Cat could see that there was something different about her. She was glowing, radiant with a smile, and she was  _curvier._  But it wasn’t until she embraced her, that she finally saw why. Her dark blue eyes widened and she gasped, but Arya, she was smiling and she whispered, “Yes.”

Ned noticed her reaction and spoke, “I think it’s best we discussed this in private.”

She nodded, shocked expression still on her face. Robb looked at his parents with confusion but greeted the rest of the party. It was only as they walked inside the castle that Cat noticed the tall, broad boy, with coal hair and searing blue eyes.

They were led to Cat’s solar and then she asked in a rather calm manner. “How did this happen?”

Ned looked over to Arya who was staring blankly at nothing in particular, absentmindedly stroking her small bump, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. He wasn’t sure what to say. That he neglected to monitor his youngest daughter? That he should have offered her hand in marriage sooner? But the truth of it was that he had never seen his little girl so happy and dare he say it,  _in love_. To be honest, he had never thought that Arya would ever fall in love with someone, better yet Robert Baratheon’s bastard son. That was perhaps what surprised him the most, the fact that the man who put a child in his daughter’s belly was none other than a Baratheon bastard. The boy may have been a bastard, but he was a bastard who had the blood of a stag in him and not to mention, the spitting image of Robert himself at that age.

Now Cat wanted to know how it all happened. He put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, encouraging her to say it all as she told him. She nodded in agreement and sat facing her mother. Arya took her mother’s hands in hers and kissed them softly. She looked out the window and her lips curved as she saw Gendry walk across the courtyard with Robb and her brothers. For the first time in over a month he was actually enjoying himself and not sulking in fear. With that, she took a deep breath and spoke.

“Gendry was the first person who saw me for who I was and accepted me. He didn’t ask for me to change or to become a lady. No, he didn’t care because Gendry was different. He  _is_  different from the rest. I laid with him and gave him my maidenhead willingly. I fell in love with him. I’m not sure when or how it happened, but it did. Mother please understand, I love him. He is everything I never knew I needed, he is more honorable and worth more than any lord in all of Westeros. He’s a good man who loves  _me_  and will treat me right.”

Cat was stunned at the conviction that Arya spoke with about this boy. She thought back to when her daughter used to say that she would never marry or bear children. That love was stupid and for swooning ladies, but not for her. And yet, here she sat; pregnant, happy, and in love.

“He’s a bastard with nothing to offer.” was all Cat said and she regretted them almost instantly. The raw hurt that etched across Arya’s face hurt more than she expected.

“It’s because he’s  _like_  Jon, isn’t it?”

“No, that’s not what I mean, Arya. I just-“

“Then what did you mean? That he’s not good enough? Seven hells! I don’t care that he’s not a lord or some knight! It’s not his fault! It’s not like he asked for this! Ever since he was a child, all Gendry ever wanted was to have  _both_  of his parents. I know I can’t bring his mother back, but I can give him something he never dreamed of having: a family.” she paused, looking down to her midsection. “This baby,” she cradled the teeny swell with care,”will change everything. Not just for him, but for me as well. I never thought that I would be in this position, mother, believe me. This could be a blessing for all of us.”

Cat looked over to Ned and then back to Arya. “I understand how you feel and I know you never wanted to be in this predicament, but how could you be so careless? No matter how much you feel for this boy or what you think of him, the fact of the matter is that you are a Stark and he is a bastard. You will never marry him. You can’t honestly believe that your father and I will let you. There are many others for you out there, Arya. And they will never have to know about your indiscretion. You have shamed not only your father and I, but also the name that is House Stark.” the Lady of Winterfell cried. “You gave yourself to that man like some…some  _whore_.”

“Cat you don’t understand.” Lord Stark tried to explain, but was cut off by his daughter.

Arya gaped at her mother’s words, tears finally spilling from her eyes. “How can you say that? I love Gendry and he is the father of my child. He is the only man that I will ever consent to marry and even then I would run away with him. We are doing the right thing by telling you! Is that what you really think of me?” The young Stark girl got on her feet and barreled into her fathers arms. 

Just then Sansa came into the solar. “Am I interrupting?”

It was Ned who spoke first. “No, you’re not. I ask that you take Arya to prepare for the wedding. And remember, you are the only one to be that chamber. Are we clear?”

“Yes father. Arya, come.” Sansa dutifully replied.

Arya looked up at her father with stormy grey eyes and hugged him tighter. He gave her a hopeful look and wiped away her tears. She tore from his arms and went to Sansa. Before leaving, she faced her mother and simply uttered:

“And if you ever come near me or my child with moon tea or tansy tea, I swear to the Old Gods and the New that I will forget that I am your daughter.”

As soon as the girls left, Lady Stark stood. “She can’t be serious Ned! That boy has nothing to offer her and he will be her ruin, if he isn’t already!”

She was fuming, her face matching her riotous red hair and Ned knew she wasn’t finished.

“Arya was always the wild and rebellious one, but she is six and ten! What does she know of love and the way the world is? How can she think that we will let her wed the boy  _and_  keep the child?”

“And what did we know, Cat? We were young and still had a lot to learn, but Arya….Arya already knows the truth of it.” he softly told her, standing in front of her.

He reached forward to grab her hand, “You can’t keep treating her as if she is a child. She’s not nine years old anymore.”

“She is  _my_  child and her acts are proving that she is indeed still one!”

“No, she’s a woman grown, you said it yourself. She six and ten, ready for marriage and a child. Who’s to say I haven’t already betrothed her?”

Cat looked up at her husband and met his Stark eyes. “What are you talking about? Who Ned? Who did you promise our baby girl to?”

“The King’s son. They are to marry at Winterfell within the next moon.”

Catelyn Tully stared at her husband in horror.  _No, not Joffrey Baratheon! Not after what he did to my sweet Sansa._

“No. Ned are you out of your mind? After what he did to Sansa, you’re going to consent to another match?!” Cat seethed.

Ned sighed and sat his wife down. “Of course not. That’s not the son I speak of.”

His wife stared at him with a confused look on her face. “I don’t understand then, Tommen? But he is much younger than Arya. How will they believe the child is his?”

“Because she’s wedding the father.” he answered.

“The bastard?” Cat questioned. “But how? He’s-he’s Robert Baratheon’s son?”

He nodded in agreement. “When Arya told me about the child, I asked her to tell me the name of the man and at first she refused. It wasn’t until I caught her sneaking out of the castle and going to the forge that I knew who the boy was.”

“That’s why the King is here.” Her eyes widened when she recalled the boy with the blue eyes and midnight hair, warily crossing the courtyard. _He is Robert’s spitting image._

“Yes.”

Catelyn Tully’s resolve broke and she shed tears of shame. “What have I done Ned? I called our daughter a whore and what’s worse, she actually believes that I think that of her.”

“You didn’t mean it, Cat. I’m sure she knows that.”

“She’s my youngest daughter! She’s my little girl and even then I never knew what to do with her. This is my fault, she never wanted to be like Sansa…..like me. She was always a Stark, looks and all. If maybe I had cared more or payed more attention to her…..”

“It not your fault….it’s no one’s fault. Maybe, this….was meant to be.” He sighed, pulling his wife close. “Some even say that she is Lyanna reborn.”

This frightened Catelyn. “I don’t want to lose my little girl, Ned. I can’t bare the thought of anything happening to her…..not like with happened to your sister.”

It still hurt Ned whenever he thought of his sister. His daughter’s uncanny resemblance in features and behavior startled him, making him fear the worst. But it wasn’t until he saw how her attitude softened around Gendry, that he knew that they were no Robert and Lyanna. No, they were different. They were just Arya and Gendry….no more, no less.

* * *

 Sansa had barely opened the door to Arya’s chambers, when Arya began to cry. Sansa didn’t know what to do except politely tell the handmaidens that they wouldn’t be needed.

“What happened?” Sansa asked.

“Mother….she…thinks me a….” Arya was mumbling her words. “Whore.”

Sansa dropped her mouth open and then shut it, embracing her sister.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it. There, there.” she said as she patted Arya’s dark curls.

Never had Arya cried so much in her life and there stood Sansa, supporting her since the beginning. Sansa knew what it was to love and be loved in return, it was something that she had with Willas. They stood together for what felt like a very long time, it wasn’t until Sansa pulled away that Arya whispered something.

“I want Gendry.”

Sansa nodded and brushed the hair and tears from her sister’s face. “I don’t know where he is…”

“Please.”

The eldest Stark sister hugged her tight again and kissed her forehead. “Okay.”

When Sansa came back, Arya was sitting by the window staring outside, stroking her swollen stomach.

“Arya.”

Her head snapped at her name and then she ran into the person who said it; Gendry.

He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and gripped her firmly against him. She grabbed his face in her palms and kissed him desperately, trying to make up for lost time. Gendry lost himself in her scent and her touch, he grabbed her by the back of her thighs and lifted her from the floor. She steadied herself on his shoulders and coiled her legs around his waist.

“I missed you.” she panted breathless.

“I missed you, too. The Gods know how I’ve missed you, Arry.”

She rested her head on the crook of his neck and clung onto him with all the strength in her body. His face was buried in her wild curls, laced with the ever present smell of weirwoods. It had been almost a moon and a half since they had last seen each other and Arya had told him about the baby.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, breaking the silence.

She sniffled, not wanting to show even more weakness. “My mother…..she doesn’t approve of you….us.”

He pulled back and put a hand under her chin. “Hey, look at me.”

“Arya, look at me.” He repeated.

Her steely grey irises weren’t as bright and vibrant, instead dull and accompanied with a background of red. His ice colored eyes stared deeply into hers and then caressed the side of her face.

“I love you and that’s all that matters. No matter what happens, know that I will always love you. Marriage or no marriage, I will run to the ends of the earth with you if it means we can be together, with our child.”

“But you’re to become an heir….to the throne. I can’t take that from you.”

Gendry exhaled and looked away. “I don’t want any of it. I just want you. Heir, lord, prince, it doesn’t mean anything to me. All I want is to marry you in the Godswood of your childhood home and start a new life with you and the baby.” He chuckled, “As if the queen will let that happen. She practically wanted to scream bloody murder, when the King suggested such a thing.”

A light laugh escaped her lips. “My father doubled the number of guards around us and you. Even Jory, seemed a bit uneasy.”

“There she is. Little Arry, more concerned for her bastards than herself.”

“I’m not little!” she screamed smacking him in the arm. “And you’re not a bastard. Neither one of you.”

She rested her forehead on his and then laughed again. “Oh bloody hell! I’m starting to act like Sansa with all this crying.”

“Hey!” Sansa had come in just as Arya said it. “Crying once in a while reminds people that you have feelings too. Besides, acting like me is not such a bad thing, you know.”

Gendry shook his head in agreement. “She’s right you know.”

“Oh shut up!”

“Sorry to break up this reunion but we have to start preparing for the wedding.”

“Just one more minute, please Sansa.” Arya pleaded.

“Fine. But only a minute.”

Arya held him even tighter and then sighed in relief when he kissed her long and deep. He set her on her feet and then put a hand on her swell.

“Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.” he reassured her, taking her hands in his. He kissed them and then gave her a gentle squeeze.

“I promise.” he repeated with more confidence.

“I’m holding you to that promise, Waters.”

“I know you will, Stark.”

Arya felt weary the rest of the day. The wedding had come and gone and it wasn’t until the feast that her fears were put to rest. The King stood to make several announcements: wishing her uncle Edmure and his bride luck, awaiting the bedding, granting a toast, and then the announcement that stunned her the most.

King Robert declared that House Baratheon and  House Stark would be joined once more and by the end of his speech, Lady Arya of House Stark was formally betrothed to Lord Gendry Baratheon, Heir to Storm’s End.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I actually had a lot of Cat feels after writing this. I had planned to go in a different direction with this but instead this came out. If anyone is interested in the other version, let me know. :)


End file.
